


Fates' Design

by Gemstarzah



Series: Teitho Challenges [8]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-18
Updated: 2015-09-18
Packaged: 2018-04-21 07:43:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4820978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gemstarzah/pseuds/Gemstarzah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eldarion learns how his parents met.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fates' Design

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the August 2015 Teitho Challenge: Direction. It did not place

Eldarion was growing up into a fine young man. The time would soon come that he was ready to find a mate of his own, though Arwen knew that wasn’t the human term for it. To her, that didn’t bother her, considering it was a part of the Edain that other terms were used for the one they loved. He will find a wife when the right woman comes along.  
  
That time would come all too soon when it came the way these mortals were. Arwen knew, that for her, time was running out indeed. Aragorn was getting old now, and she knew he would have to step down soon. Everyone knew that Eldarion was almost ready to take his father’s place, they were waiting for it to occur. While Arwen would be happy with her son sitting on the throne, she knew she would not be able to linger in Minas Tirith when that happened. For Aragorn would be dead, and she would fade.  
  
_Why would I linger on in Middle-Earth, if Aragorn is no longer here to share it with me?_ That would be a rather grim thing to have to endure over the years that would come. _Yes, I have lived before on my own without him, but now that he is a part of my life, I do not want to return to such a life._  
  
“Naneth?”  
  
Arwen turned as she heard her son’s voice calling to her. It had shaken her out of her unpleasant thoughts too. She smiled at her son. Every day he was looking more and more like his father, aside from his pointed ears. They weren’t as clearly elven as her own were, but they were reminder enough of the past that she had given up to be with his father. She couldn’t be more proud of the son that she had raised.  
  
“Yes, ion-nin?”  
  
She could tell there was a question that he wanted to ask her, and so she waited while Eldarion walked over to her. Whatever the question was, she knew she would answer it if she could. Always, she made time for her children regardless of what they wanted from her.  
  
“You never told me… how did you meet him?”  
  
Arwen smiled at him. She had a feeling she knew who he was talking about when it came to that question. There was only one person really, that her son could be asking about when it came down to that sort of question. Even so, she decided to ask, just to be certain that she was thinking about the same person that Eldarion was.  
  
“Meet who? Your adar?”  
  
Eldarion nodded.  
  
Arwen considered the question for a few moments, knowing that he deserved to know how his parents had met. All her children did, and she had told herself once that ‘I won’t tell them unless they ask it of me.’ It seemed the time had come for her first born child to know how it was that a Dúnedain, and a half-elf had ended up meeting.  
  
“That is a very long story, ion-nin, and goes back to a time when there was at least tentative peace, while Sauron was hiding from us all. Meeting him, turned my life in a direction that it might not have gone in, had I not. Come, let us find somewhere to sit, and I will tell you what happened in Lothlórien all those years ago.”  
  
He was old enough now that she knew she might as well tell him just what had happened all those years ago when it came to Aragorn. It was a story which she looked forward to telling him, and she hoped that he would remember it for many a year to come. One day, she would not be here to tell him of it again.  
  
Together they walked toward one of the quieter places in the palace, and found a place for Arwen to tell her son just how she had ended up with his father.  
  
“I hope you do not have somewhere else to be any time soon, ion-nin for it is a long story that you wish to hear.”  
  
Eldarion shook his head.  
  
“There is no one expecting me for at least an hour or so. It is safe for me to hear that which you want me to.”  
  
Arwen chuckled as her son answered her question eagerly. She’d known that one day she would have to answer the questions that arose when it came to Aragorn. After all, very few truly knew the story of how their King and Queen met, here in Gondor. The only ones who really knew were herself and Aragorn of course. No one else here in this white stone city were able to work out how an elf had fallen for a mortal man.  
  
“Let me think where to start when it comes to that story.”  
  
Arwen thought for a few moments, knowing that her son would not let it rest now that he had asked the question. She wasn’t about to decide not to share the story with him. Soon she began speaking.

* * *

 _Ever since her mother had been molested by the orcs, she had spent much of her time in Lothlórien, amongst her mother’s people. While here in the Golden Wood, she did not feel as oppressed as she did in Imladris from time to time. Nothing could get far enough into the woods that she could be harmed._  
  
_The march-wardens that kept guard over the forest made sure no orcs were able to find Caras Galadhron. Too many times had the orcs tried, only to end up being slain by arrows shot from places that couldn’t be seen from the forest floor. Aside from Imladris, Arwen knew there was no safer place for elves to be, at least on this side of the Sea._  
  
_As protected as they were, it wasn’t hard to remember that the lands outside the borders of these two lands were still dangerous. For those who had been close to Celebrian, her naneth, the reminder of those dangers was only too clear in their minds._  
  
_She continued to walk through the thick white trunked pillar like trees outside the walls of Caras Galadhron. The little hill she aimed to sit on to eat her lunch was within the bounds of the March-warden flets outside the city walls. It was a place she liked to go to, when she wanted to escape from the city, but not return back to Imladris._  
  
_Being spring, the hill was covered in blooming golden flowers, a rather lovely sight to have while wandering in the woods. Arwen knew that such a beautiful sight did not occur anywhere else in Middle-Earth. Why the flowers decided to cover this particular hill of all the possibly places in Middle-Earth instead of any other, she did not know, but she loved to come here._  
  
Here I am happy and safe.  
  
_There was nothing here that would cause her trouble. All the Silvans as well as the Sindarin elves that dwelt amongst the mallorn trees, knew her and never allowed any harm to befall her. Had any of them done so, they’d be risking their Lady’s anger, since Arwen was Lady Galadriel’s granddaughter. That was not a risk many of the elves would dare to take, and those who did learned the hard way from their mistakes._  
  
_Galadriel had always protected her kin, and did not allow others to falter in a way that would cause harm to anyone dwelling within her realm. Arwen had never felt safer in the Golden Wood, while she knew her grandnaneth was here in the woods. It was a rare time indeed that she wasn’t here amongst her people._  
  
_Arwen stopped as she neared the top of the hill known as Cerin Amroth, to listen to a group of robins sitting on a branch chattering amongst themselves. The robins here were different to those in Imladris, at least in colour. These ones were grey on their backs and heads, but their fronts were yellow. Arwen did spot a couple of male red breasted robins in the group as well. Those she was more used to seeing in Imladris._  
  
_She smiled as she listened to the birds as they moved about, some of them tending to hatchlings in their nests. Eventually, she moved on, reaching the top of the hill, where she found a place to sit, looking back toward Caras Galadhron._  
  
_Her back rested against a tree, one that she knew quite well, and she knew she would be able to sit here for quite some time. The forest here at this hill was always peaceful, and she liked to sit here, and listen to the birds and other wildlife as they went about their daily business._  
  
_More than once she had lost track of the time while sitting here, listening. Once, she had stayed away from the city so long that Haldir, one of the March-Wardens, had been sent to find where she was and make sure she returned safely to the city. That time, she had stayed out until it was after dark, which she had never been in the habit of doing._

* * *

 _She sat in the shade of the great tree, her back resting against the smooth bark for some time. By the time she realised there was someone else nearby, she had almost slipped into reverie, as calm and quiet as the area around her was._  
  
_Startled, Arwen got up, before looking around carefully. She knew someone was nearby, and since she couldn’t see anyone, she doubted it was an elf. It was getting later in the day too, and she knew she had to head back into the city as it was._  
  
_Arwen paused as she started down the hill once more, as she came face to face with a man. Since when is there a man here in Lothlórien? She did not recall seeing him here before at all. Since she knew most of the elves in Lothlórien by now, she was a little concerned as to who this was, walking through a place she considered home._  
  
_She did not understand what he was doing here, where mortals seldom went out of fear of her grandnaneth. Then again, he did not look like he was from Rohan, or Gondor for that matter._ Where is he from?  
  
_The man smiled at her, though he was a little wide eyed._  
  
_“Luthien?”_  
  
_Arwen blinked, thinking for a moment._  
  
_“Why do you call me the name of one of my ancestors?”_  
  
_There was something about this man that intrigued her, and she wasn’t completely sure what. Something drew her to him to talk to him at least.  She was curious to know who he was, and how he had come to be in Lothlorien._  
  
How does he know of Luthien? He’s no elf.  
  
_Luthien had lived so long before her own time, this much, Arwen knew._  
  
_“I am sorry, you look so like her,” the man replied. “I see now that you are not her.”_  
  
_Arwen nodded at his words._  
  
_“Many mortals like you have made that mistake, though I would like to know how you know of her? Also how you are here in the Golden Wood, a place most mortal men seem to avoid?”_  
  
_The man nodded at her words._  
  
_“I have been traveling for a long while, My Lady, as the Dunedain do. I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn.”_  
  
One of the Dunedain? I know of Arathorn too. How interesting this turn of events was indeed. _She looked closer at him, looking to see how he resembled Arathorn._  
  
_“Strange, for I have met Arathorn. I should have guessed you were one of his kin. I have heard of you, from my father, though I have not been in Rivendell for quite some years.”_  
  
_Longer than Aragorn had been alive, certainly._  
  
_Aragorn raised an eyebrow._  
  
_“You live in Rivendell?”_  
  
_Arwen nodded. She knew that some of what she had said would confuse him, but to her it did not matter. There were few men who really knew that she lived. Before now, she hadn’t made an effort to get to know the mortals, and she found now that she regretted that choice. She had always avoided Rivendell when her father was fostering yet another member of his brother’s line._  
  
_“Some of the time I do, some of the time I dwell here, where my mother lived before… well.”_  
  
_Aragorn raised a hand._  
  
_“No need to tell me more about that if you don’t want to… but who are you?”_  
  
_Arwen smiled._  
  
_“Have you not worked it out? Arwen Undomiel, Lord Elrond’s daughter.”_  
  
_She liked him, that much she was certain of. There was something else as well, something that made her want to continue talking to him, despite that she had been intent on returning to the city. Perhaps, she liked him enough to possibly risk her father’s anger too, since she knew he would never have wanted to see her end up with a mortal man._  
  
I’ve only just met you, and yet my heart tells me you’re the one I’m meant to have.  
  
_How that was even possible she did not understand, but she knew better than to ignore what her fea told him when it came to this man in particular._

* * *

“It is hard to believe, ion-nin, that even after I had been alive for over two thousand years already, that people still thought of me as Luthien. Back in those days, I had grown quite sick of people calling me by that name, but I know it is only human nature to mistake someone for who they are not.”

She smiled at Eldarion.

“I know that from that day on, there was no other male that I had any interest in. Even over the years when we were apart, while Sauron was still something to fear, I have never turned away and thought there might be someone else who is worth my time.”

Arwen looked up as she heard a sound, and a few moments later, Aragorn himself came into the room.

“I was starting to wonder where you were,” he said as he joined them. “Telling Eldarion stories again?”

Arwen nodded. “Oh yes. He asked me a question, and I couldn’t refuse him this time. He wanted to know how we met each other. I only just finished telling him the story.”

Aragorn grinned.

“I hope you didn’t make me sound like I was too embarrassed by what I first called you?”

“No, nana didn’t, ada,” Eldarion replied.


End file.
